Troublesome, But I Love You
by potc.rocks.my.socks
Summary: Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji have a mission in Suna. But when they have to team up with their least favorite people, things go wrong, way wrong...or right? Shikamaru feels something new and for the most troublesome girl. ShikaTema and ChouIno!
1. Intro

"Shikamaru-kun,"

"Yeah?"

"Do you love me?"

Shikamaru smiled.

"More than you know."

* * *

Shikamaru opened his eyes slowly. He turned his head slightly towards his

alarm clock which was beeping annoyingly. It was 6:00am. Damn, how he hated

mornings. He turned off the alarm almost destroying it in the process. Shikamaru

swung his legs lazily off his bed and onto the floor. He remembered that the

Hokage had sent him a message just yesterday requesting his presence in

her office the following morning.

"It's obviously a mission." He said to himself.

"Sometimes I wish I never became a jounin. How troublesome"

The nineteen year old Shikamaru stood up and stretched. It had been two

years since he became a jounin. Ever since he was promoted, he had been

sent here and there, carrying out B, A, and even S-ranked missions.

He wasn't too experienced, but he was, after all, a genius. He had the

skill and capacity to successfully finish his missions.

"I wonder what today's mission is" he yawned loudly, as he headed towards

the bathroom to shower.

* * *

"You're late!" Lady Tsunade yelled angrily.

"But you didn't even give me a time to arri..."

"Silence!" she spat back "I have a mission for you."

'Jeeze, what a surprise" He quietly mumbled to himself.

He noticed two familiar shinobi around him. A blue-eyed girl who had her

blonde hair in a small ponytail and a round boy with red swirls on his

cheeks who was eating a bag of potato chips.

"Chouji-kun, Ino-chan!" He ran towards them and trapped them both in a strong hug,

"You're back from your mission already?"

"Hey...Shik...amaru-kun...how have...you been?" Ino tried to say as she was

struggling to escape from the bear hug.

"Uh...Shikamaru…-kun...do we...have to go...through...this...every time we...

come back...from a mission?" Chouji asked painfully.

"Oh, sorry." Shikamaru said as he put them both back down.

He just couldn't help it. He remembered his first mission as a chuunin .

The time they tried to bring Sasuke back to Konoha. He could never quite

forget it, not because it was his first mission, but because he was so

close to losing his comrades and his best friend, Chouji. If it weren't for those

three sand genin, arriving in time to save them, he might not be here

right now. Especially that Temari girl, he surely saved his ass.

'Who would have thought a female sand genin would have saved my life'.

Since that day, he promised himself he would never endanger the lives of

his friends. He lived up to his promise by training harder to become a

better chuunin, which eventually led him to become a jounin, even though

he never really planned it.

"Now...your mission is to protect the Kazekage-sama." Tsunade said, interrupting Shikamaru's thoughts.

"Kazekage-sama? But why? Can't he protect himself from who ever is after him?" Chouji asked.

"The Akatsuki…" Tsunade began to say as the three fell silent, "is trying to assassinate the Kazekage. We believe they're trying to take over Suna and use it for their own personal reasons."

"Ummm, but aren't the sand ANBU suppose to protect their own leader?" Ino also asked.

"Most of them, including some jounin, are trying to locate and capture members of the Akatsuki. They're only two sand jounin available whom the Kazekage-sama truly trusts and besides, _I_ want you three for this mission to help protect our ally."

"Well then, who are the two shinobi involved in this mission?" Shikamaru wondered.

"Those two shinobi are Kankurou and Temari."


	2. The Beginning

"WHAT!" all three shouted with discontent.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem with the mission I am assigning you? Tsunade asked dangerously.

"Of course not! We were…just…uh…"Ino began to say, slightly scratching her head.

"Surprised! When do we start?" Chouji yelled, covering for all three of them.

"As soon as you can," Tsunade began "but first all three of you must go home and get ready. Suna will be your home for quite some time, and you may return when the Kazekage-sama is surrounded by more sand ANBU and jounin."

"Understood." Ino said, speaking the thoughts of the group.

"Good, you are dismissed."

And with that, all three of them disappeared leaving a puff of smoke behind.

* * *

"I can't believe we have to share a mission with those two freaks!" Ino yelled angrily as they were all carrying their things for the upcoming 'nightmare'.

"Yeah, well, it's not like we chose this ourselves." Chouji added.

"Hey Shikamaru-kun, you haven't said anything since the assignment was, well, assigned." Ino said letting her anger calm down for a moment.

"Huh, uh…well, there's really nothing to say." Shikamaru lied.

The truth was there was a lot to be said. He did not approve of this mission! He did not plan on spending _any_ let alone most of his time with Temari. He did not want to leave Konoha and live in a place where a bunch of sand got in your eyes every five seconds. He did not! He did not! He did not! Of all the troublesome things, this probably was the worst. Sure, I guess he could handle being a body guard for some time, but in a different village? With Temari? He didn't like her because she was a spunky girl, and he hated spunky girls. She thought just like him and was rude (not that he really cared). She was just like his mother, being bossy and all. Not to mentioned she saved his life. He could never quite get over it but eventually learned to accept it. Accept it because he never really had to face her again. Temari was the only female, either than Ino, whom he had meet that was so mean, annoying, and a smart-mouth. She simply was troublesome.

"HELLO! Anyone home?" said Ino, her temper rising again.

"Huh, what?" Shikamaru answered, slowly returning to a place he called Earth.

"I asked if you wanted any potato chips," Ino repeated, shaking an empty bag of chips up and down. "but it seems Chouji-kun ate them all."

"Uh, sorry Ino-chan, Shikamaru-kun," Chouji honestly said. "I was just really hungry."

"But you just ate before we left!"

"Don't worry about me, Chouji-kun," said Shikamaru, walking between both of his best friends. "I'm really not that hungry."

"Thanks Shikamaru-kun," Chouji said. "see Ino-chan, you should be less selfish like him."

"WHAT! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO ATE THEM ALL BY YOURSELF!" Ino screamed. "YOU DIDN'T EVEN LEAVE ANY FOR US, CONSIDERING THEY WERE MINE!"

"Mine, mine, mine…see, you _are_ selfish!"

"AHHHH!"

Yup, these two were his best friends. Even though they argued every moment they could, Shikamaru knew it was never serious. They fought for the stupidest things, but in the end…they were all the best of friends. And Shikamaru would never trade that up for anything.

* * *

Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji all reported to Lady Tsunade about their departure and she wished them the best of luck. After a few days of traveling, eating, sleeping, and arguing they had reached the location of their mission.

All three shinobi were standing in front of the entrance towards the village of Suna. The buildings seemed to be made of sand; in fact, it looked like _everything _was made of sand. Shikamaru began walking inside but was then stopped by a rough voice.

"Wait, who are you and state your purpose!" the guard yelled.

The group all took out their passports (?) and opened them, allowing the sand shinobi to see them.

"I am Nara, Shikamaru from the village hidden in the leaves."

"I am Yamanaka, Ino from the village hidden in the leaves."

"And I am Akimichi, Chouji from the village hidden in the leaves."

"We are here to protect the Kazekage-sama" Shikamaru finished saying.

"Hmmm," the man said slowly, while carefully inspecting all of the documents. "ah yes, Kazekage-sama mentioned this. Very well, you may enter."

"Thank You." Said Ino quickly.

They continued walking down and into the village. Shikamaru couldn't stop thinking of how this mission was going to be a total disaster. Soon, they spotted the large building with the sand symbol posted in front of it.

"Look, that must be the Kazekage-sama's office." Chouji interrupted the team's silence.

"Well, of course it is! Its got the symbol, doesn't it?" Ino said annoyingly.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Chouji asked nervously.

"I'm still a little pist-off at you, haven't you noticed?"

"Uh…not really."

'Chouji-kun has done it now' Shikamaru thought.

"WHAT! I'VE BEEN PRACTICALLY IGNORING YOU FOREVER!"

"Oh, really? Why? Well, that's pretty mean, Ino-chan."

"Just SHUT-UP Chouji-kun, you never think of anyone but YOURSELF!"

"What did I do wrong?"

"I said SHUT-UP!"

"Bu-''

"**SHUT UP!"**

"Uh, Ino-chan, is there a problem?" Shikamaru asked carefully.

"No."

"Um, oka-''

"Yes! I don't want to do this! I want to go back to Konoha! I can't stand those two!"

"Well, why do you hate them so much anyway?" Chouji asked, testing the waters.

"I just do," Ino said, calming down a little but giving Chouji a look. "Kankurou-baka, first of all, is a big bully!"

Shikamaru and Chouji both looked at each other as Ino mentioned 'bully'.

"And Temari-baka, oh, she seriously needs to get a grip! Of all the people in the world, she honestly is the meanest! Don't you remember what she did to Ten Ten on the day we first took the chuunin exams?"

"Yeah, but that was years ago." Chouji added.

"Doesn't matter! She treated a leaf ninja with disrespect and that could never be forgotten, at least not by me or any of you!" threatened Ino.

* * *

"You requested leaf ninja to protect you, Gaara-sama?" asked Temari, carefully hiding her anger.

"Yes." The Kazekage responded.

"But why? We don't need _them_!" argued Kankurou.

"Yes, we do," Gaara said as he opened his eyes slowly. "this is not only a simple mission. This is also a way for Konoha to prove their loyalty."

"But what if they harm you? I mean, what if they kill you? It wouldn't matter because it would be too late." Temari asked, making a good point.

"Exactly." Kankurou agreed.

"Do you honestly think that three jounin can go up against you two and the Kazekage-sama?"

"No." Temari said, her good point being taken away from her.

Knock. Knock.

"Come in."

The door opened slowly revealing Baki, the ninjas' former sensei.

"Kazekage-sama, the leaf shinobi are here."

"Let them in."

"Of course."

The three leaf ninja appeared at the door. Shikamaru as the leader of the group stepped one step further than the rest and reported that the Hokage-sama had sent them.

"Yes, I want all five of you to keep on eye out," the Kazekage began to say. "for anything suspicious. If anything seems out of place, please let me know. It is extremely important that you report to me. Understood?"

"Yes, Kazekage-sama" Shikamaru and Temari said at the same time.

They both looked at each other and turned right away. For some reason they couldn't stand each other.

"Very well. You may leave my office but all of you must be at a close distance from me."

All five shinobi nodded and with that, left.

"Just keep your distance and we'll keep ours. Get it?" Kankurou said with a menacing tone as they were all walking down the hall.

"Fine by us." Ino challenged.

"Uh, can't we all just get along?" the innocent Chouji said, trying to keep the violence out.

All four shinobi stared an evil stare at Chouji and quickly fell silent.

"Now, we are here to protect the Kazekage-sama," Temari said, keeping her voice calm. "and in order to do that, we must _all_ work together. This is after all, _our _brother and we will protect him. Even if it means getting along with you."

"Hey, this isn't exactly a picnic for us. So if you want to get along, you can start by changing your attitude." Ino angrily said.

Temari slowly shifted her head towards the direction of Ino, "Listen, you will not tell me what to do. You can shove all of your B.S. up you're a-''

"Temari!" Shikamaru yelled.

"What?"

"You will _not_ disrespect any of my teammates!"

"You will not tell me what to say or not to say!" Temari fired back.

"All I'm asking for is respect." Shikamaru said, calming down.

"If you want respect, then tell your friend to stop acting like a smart-mouth."

"Don't call her any names."

"Then stay out of my way."

Shikamaru and Temari stared at each other for a while. The tense between them started to rise. Neither Shikamaru nor Temari had any idea that they were both staring at the love of their life. Soon, destiny was going to show them what they least wanted, but what they most needed.

**Author's note: ok that's it for chapter one. I hope it didn't bore you guys _that_ much. Don't worry, all authors need a chapter or two to get a few important things across. I promise I'll try to get some ShikaTema moments in future chapters. But I _need_ to know what you guys want to read! Please, R&R! I need to know what you guys think in order to make this work. All good and bad reviews are accepted. Just tell me what I need to improve on and I'll try to make it better. Just don't get mad at me! Tell me what you think and maybe it could be added to the story. Um, Ch. 2 isn't going to be up for a while cuz I have something due by the end of spring break, so yeah! Plenty of time to tell me what you guys want to read in Ch. 2 so I can get to work on it ASAP! If you guys want me to keep on going, you _need_ to review! **


	3. Pillows, Doors, and a Backpack

"No Chouji-kun! That doesn't go there!" Ino cried as Chouji was helping her unpack.

It was evening in Suna and everyone, including the Kazekage, was "home". Chouji was apparently trying to help Ino unpack all of her things.

"Ino-chan, why do you have so many useless things? I mean, who needs a hairbrush, make-up, and a toothbrush with a tube of toothpaste?" Chouji asked innocently as he picked up everything he said one by one and sat them all back down.

"What?! Are you serious?" Ino asked as she was eyeing him suspiciously, getting a bit disturbed.

"Nah, just messing with you… Although, I still wonder why you need the toothpaste..." Chouji managed to say as he was grabbing his chin with his thumb and index finger, looking at the ceiling.

"Chouji-kun!" Ino said as she threw a pillow at his direction, Chouji being able to dodge it.

"Ha, you miss-" he began to say but was interrupted by another pillow that crashed into his face.

"You were saying?" Ino said as she crossed her arms in victory.

"Oh, I was saying that you should think fast!" Chouji quickly said as he threw another pillow at Ino.

Ino jumped and kicked it, once again heading towards Chouji's direction and hitting his face for the second time. This time it felt harder than before.

"Ow. You do think fast." Chouji added while rubbing his cheek in pain.

"Ah, Chouji-kun, are you o.k.?" Ino said as she ran towards him, grabbing his cheeks and checking for any serious injuries.

POW.

Chouji had grabbed a pillow and hit Ino on the side of her head. Ino fell sideways and grabbed the nearest 'weapon' and started to hit him as well. Soon they were engaged in a violent pillow fight. Chouji fell face up on the floor and Ino was about to make her final attack when…

"Hey!" roared Kankurou as he passed by Ino's room, stopping midway. "this isn't a vacation!"

The pillows stopped flying across the room and the laughter had died away. Ino threw her pillow quickly behind her and threw herself backwards, her arms behind her head, as she tried to whistle, her right foot on top of her left raised knee. Chouji, just as fast, flipped himself so his belly was touching the carpet, flung his legs in the air, grabbed the nearest thing, planted both of his elbows on the floor while his hands meet up with his round cheeks, and pretended to be interested in whatever he had gotten. Too bad for him it was a copy of Ino's favorite magazine, _Teen Ninjas_ (a/n not very creative, huh?). This month's issue:_ 'How to Look Fab and Still Kick Butt!'_

"We know its not. I mean, what kinda vacation involves being with people you can't stand?" snapped Ino, suddenly being interested in her nails. "isn't that why vacations exist in the first place?"

"We're here to protect the Kazekage-sama, or have you forgotten?" Kankurou said, ignoring Ino's comment.

"No, and we don't need you to remind us, thank you." Chouji answered as he threw the magazine and grabbed the second nearest thing, this time it being…

'_Shinobi Girl?!_ _What is this girl's problem?!' _(a/n again, sorry!)

"Hey, where's Shikamaru anyways?" Ino asked Chouji, ignoring Kankurou completely.

"I dunno." Chouji said, as he stood up throwing the second magazine in defeat.

* * *

"This is your room." Temari said as she was showing Shikamaru where he was going to sleep for the next few weeks.

"Thanks." Shikamaru simply said as he threw his backpack landing just behind Temari's feet.

"The Kazekage-sama's room is down the hall. Kankurou's is next to it on the right side while mine is next to his. So in case you need us, now you know who is where."

"o.k."

"All rooms have their own bathroom, closet, e.t.c."

"Got it."

"What's with you and simple answers?" Temari asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"Is there a problem with simple answers?" Shikamaru answered with another question.

"No, I just thought a guy who calls himself a genius should, oh I don't know, have answers that are a bit more complex."

"Just because I'm a smart doesn't mean I have to show it." Shikamaru lazily said.

"If you say so." said Temari as she put one hand on her hip.

"You're the one who brought it up."

"Anyways," Temari stated as she removed her hand and began to walk backwards. "over here you ca-"

Temari couldn't finish her sentence because she had tripped over Shikamaru's backpack. Instinctively, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him down with her. She hit the floor hard but didn't fell his weight on top of her. Shikamaru was on top but noticed that he had both his hands on the floor, supporting his weight so he wouldn't crush her. Their faces were only inches apart and they could feel each other's breathing.

"Y-you were saying?" Shikamaru nervously said as he stared into her eyes that were blinking constantly. He couldn't explain what he was feeling at the moment.

"Ye-yeah, that…that…" Temari began to say, searching for the right words, but later changed her tone. "you should really watch were you leave your things!"

"Well you shouldn't be so clumsy!" Shikamaru said as he stood up and offered her a hand.

"Well I wouldn't be so clumsy if you put your stuff where it belonged!" Temari snapped as she took his hand.

She felt a weird tingle in the pit of her stomach when she made contact.

"You're so troublesome." Shikamaru quietly said as he stuffed his hands inside his pockets.

"You're not exactly Mr. Perfect!" Temari argued as she crossed her arms.

"I don't intend to."

"Good, 'cause you're doing a lousy job!" yelled Temari as she stuck her tongue out at him.

Shikamaru just stared, his eyes blinking a few times. He...he thought it was kind of cute, how she looked.

"What?" Temari asked, noticing his stare.

"Nothing."

"Well, I was going to tell you that you can also step outside because you have a balcony."

That was funny; he didn't even notice the balcony in front of him. He thought it was a large window, but it turned out to be a sliding door which led to the outside.

"Hmpf. As if I would go outside."

"What's wrong with going outside?"

"Nothing really except it's always so damn windy here."

"Well, it's your problem if you want to go or not." Temari said as she was walking towards the door she previously came in.

"Hey!"

"Yeah?" asked Temari as she slightly turned her head towards Shikamaru.

"Next time, try not to be so clumsy." Shikamaru said even though he secretly liked that about her.

"And next time try not to be so stupid!" Temari barked back. "You should really watch where you leave your things!"

BANG.

She had slammed the door behind her and left.

Shikamaru smiled at himself without noticing it until he looked in the mirror and realized it. He was smiling. Why was he smiling? Did he enjoy making her mad? Was it because of what had happened? Or both? Shikamaru quickly shook off his thoughts and smile when he heard a knock on the door. He didn't even have time to answer because Ino had already barged into his room.

"Hey, so this is your room?" Ino said as she jumped and sat on his bed, looking around.

"Yeah, pretty much." Shikamaru responded as he leaned on the wall, his arms crossed.

"It's cleaner than Ino-chan's" Chouji added while giving Ino a look.

"Do you want to get attacked by another pillow, Chouji-kun?" threatened Ino.

"No, thanks. I'm good!" Chouji said as he stepped back and started waving his hands in defense.

"What's with you Ino-chan? You seem nicer today." Shikamaru said sarcastically.

"I'm just in a good mood, thanks to Chouji-kun."

"Really? What did he do?" Shikamaru asked.

"He threw a pillow at Kankurou-san when he turned to leave." Ino said as she slightly giggled.

Shikamaru stared at Ino. Chouji did the same but with his mouth slightly opened.

"What?" Ino asked, a little confused.

"Kankurou-SAN?" Shikamaru repeated.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"You changed the suffix?!" Chouji yelled.

"Oh, I did? I didn't even notice." Said Ino.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at Ino.

"You're starting to like it here, aren't you?" Shikamaru said as he waited for Ino's reaction.

"What? No. Please." Ino said as she stood up.

Shikamaru and Chouji stared, a smirk on both their faces.

"Admit it Ino-chan, it's o.k." Chouji simply said.

"Fine, like I said, I'm trying to give this place a chance," Ino announced as she began to walk out the door. "and saying someone's name respectively is a good way to start."

"Sure, that's something to say after you've argued him." Chouji responded to Ino's long defense.

"Just shut-up." Ino said as she left, also slamming the door.

"Wow, she _is_ in a good mood." Chouji mentioned to Shikamaru. "Well, I'd better go unpack, see you in a while."

"I'd better do the same." Shikamaru agreed as he stood up straight.

"Later." Chouji said as he too, left but the only of the three without slamming the door.

Shikamaru grabbed his backpack and sat it down on his bed as he started to take out his stuff. He was thinking about how he had Temari between his arms. How they were so close, _too_ close actually. Seeing her in a different light like that made him think that, maybe just maybe, she wasn't too troublesome.

**Author's note: well there you have it, chapter 2. I put in a small ShikaTema moment (hey, it's better than nothing right?) and a little bit of humor. I'm not sure if I succeed or not but anyways, as you can see, Shikamaru has started to _like_ Temari in this chapter. It's not the kind of _like_ that's "ah, I have a crush on this girl!", but the kind that's a "oh, this person is not so bad." So yeah, I hope you guys enjoyed it! Oh, and don't hesitate to review! **


	4. Chouji's Confession

Shikamaru was in his room doing what all lazy ninjas do on a Friday night, laying on his bed and staring at the ceiling. He thought it was rather relaxing actually, listening to the silence of the large room. He started to doze off when…

BANG.

Well, it was good while it lasted. He quickly opened his eyes and got out of bed, a bit frightened. He opened the door that led to the hallway that everyone shared.

BANG.

It got louder. He was trying to listen for the odd sound, trying to find out where it was coming from.

BANG.

It was coming from Ino's room. Maybe the Akatsuki was already attacking, but why Ino?

"Ino-chan…" Shikamaru whispered as he got closer to her door. He heard shuffled sounds and the 'bang' once more.

"Ino-chan!" Shikamaru loudly said as he opened her door with force. What he saw caught him by surprise.

"Chouji-kun! Why did you eat all of my damn food?! It's only been a day and you've eaten everything that I've brought!" Ino yelled furiously as she was banging Chouji's head on the floor.

"Ah, Ino-chan cut it out!" Chouji yelled painfully. "It hurts!"

"I should have known." Shikamaru said, even though he was relieved.

"Shikamaru-kun! Help me! She's gone crazy!" Chouji yelled once more.

"Alright, Ino-chan, stop it before you seriously hurt him." Shikamaru said as he walked towards his best friend, grabbing her by the waist and off of Chouji.

"Let go of me Shikamaru-kun! I want to tear him into pieces!" Ino screamed as she was fighting to be freed.

"Ah, don't let go of her Shikamaru-kun!" Chouji said as he got up and grabbed his head. He felt like a big headache was coming his way.

"O.k., Shikamaru-kun, I won't hurt him just let go of me." Ino calmly said as she stopped fighting.

Shikamaru released her. Chouji panicked and ran behind Shikamaru. Ino was fixing her hair, checking her clothes and suddenly went after Chouji. Shikamaru grabbed her again, this time by her arms.

"You said you weren't going to hurt him, Ino-chan." Shikamaru reminded Ino while giving her a look.

"Oh, alright!" Ino said as she moved her eyes from Shikamaru's look and towards Chouji. A gulping sound being heard from the scared shinobi.

"You promise?"

"Yeah, yeah." Ino agreed as Shikamaru released her once more.

"Sorry Ino-chan." Chouji whispered, as he was still hiding behind Shikamaru.

"Sorry! That's what you always say!" said Ino's voice, picking up volume. "You always say sorry and do the same thing over and over again!"

Chouji just stood quiet, taking in all of Ino's fury. Shikamaru was surprised; he had never seen Ino so mad for something so stupid.

"Hey, Ino-chan lay off a bit, won't you?" Shikamaru said, trying to calm her down.

"No, I won't lay off! He will never change! He only cares about himself!"

"That's not true." Chouji quietly said, almost being unheard.

"Yes it is!" Ino yelled even louder.

"That's not true!" Chouji repeated as he too yelled.

He turned around and headed towards the door.

"Chouji-kun…" Shikamaru said as he shifted his head towards Chouji's direction.

"No, it's o.k. Shikamaru-kun. Ino-chan obviously wants me to change and if that's what she wants, then fine." Chouji said as he left.

Shikamaru faced Ino again. This time Ino was surprised.

"Are you happy?" Shikamaru said as he felt anger throughout his body. "Why do have to be so mean to him? He is after all your friend."

"I didn't mean---"

"You didn't mean it? You could've fooled me. You constantly yell at him for the simplest of mistakes. You're also my friend and as a friend I'm telling you that I think you're the one who needs to change." Shikamaru coldly said as he also left, leaving Ino alone in her room.

"I didn't mean it, Chouji-kun...I didn't mean it" Ino quietly whispered as she dropped next to her bed. She began to feel a tear falling down her cheek. Why had things turned out like this? All three got in an argument over something so stupid. They both knew how she was. Maybe she did need to change. Maybe she had to learn how to control her anger or better yet, how not to get angry so easily. "Chouji-kun…I'm sorry."

* * *

Shikamaru left Ino's room with a heavy heart. He didn't like this, not one bit. He didn't enjoy seeing both his friends fighting and now he was the one who got mad at Ino. He felt he needed to go back inside and ask for an apology but an even bigger feeling told him Chouji needed him the most. He turned and walked down the long, wide hall. He saw the Kazekage's room up ahead. He kept on walking, passing by his and Temari's room. He reached Chouji's room; which happened to be right across Kankurou's. He knocked on his door. The door opened slowly, revealing Chouji on the other side. Shikamaru wasn't sure, but it seemed like his eyes were about water.

"Chouji-kun, are you o.k.?" Shikamaru asked as he walked in.

"No. Shikamaru-kun, what does Ino-chan want from me?" Chouji asked as he walked and sat on his bed.

"Chouji-kun, you gotta see it from her point of view too." Shikamaru told Chouji. "Think, you went into her room and took something that wasn't yours."

"Yeah, I know." Chouji admitted.

"I'm not sure what happened but, you need to learn how to respect other people's things." Shikamaru said as he sat next to Chouji.

"But why does she have to be so mean about it?" The sweet Chouji asked, while playing with his fingers.

"Well, you see, that's Ino-chans's problem. She gets mad way too easily." Shikamaru explained. He wasn't trying to pick sides, even when she wasn't there.

"Yeah, but I guess I've gotten used to that. I mean, she can be so beautiful, so sweet, and so…so wonderful." Chouji paused, not realizing whom he was talking to. "Well, when she's not mad."

Shikamaru stared. It didn't take a genius to guess what Chouji felt for Ino, at least after what he had just said.

"Chouji-kun?" Shikamaru asked Chouji who seemed to have returned to reality after he had heard his name.

"Oh, Shikamaru-kun…" Chouji said a little surprised. He began to randomly stare at everything but Shikamaru's eyes.

"Chouji-kun, do you feel something other than friendship towards Ino-chan?" Shikamaru asked; he knew deep down that he was going to ask this question eventually.

"What? What makes you say that?" Chouji asked nervously still avoiding Shikamaru's eyes.

"Chouji-kun, I'm you're best friend and you're my best friend. Can't you tell me?" Shikamaru asked as he stood up, turning his back on Chouji.

Shikamaru knew his best friend so well that whenever he wanted to know something from Chouji he would use this technique. Poor Chouji always fell for it.

"O.k. Shikamaru-kun, we've been friends for forever and a day. I-I think I m-might like I-Ino-chan…for m-more than a f-friend." Chouji had such difficulty saying this that when he finished, he felt…different. Like a weight had been lifted from his chest.

"Chouji-kun…" Besides saying Chouji's name, Shikamaru was speechless. He always suspected it but never believed it.

"Do you think I was too mean? I mean for someone who likes Ino-chan, I acted like a jerk." Chouji said as he looked at the floor in shame.

"Its o.k. Lots of friends get into arguments once in a while." Shikamaru said, trying to lift his spirits.

"No, I need to apologize to her. If I don't I won't feel better."

"Yeah, you know something Chouji-kun; we should both go and apologize. You weren't the only one who was mean to someone who matters."

CRASH, CRASH, **CRASH!**

Shikamaru and Chouji both stood up, startled by the huge and loud noise. When Shikamaru stepped outside Chouji's room, he saw what he had expected earlier today. Just a few feet away Ino was on the floor, unconscious. A tall dark figure stood above her with a huge grin. Four other shinobi were behind him as if waiting for orders.

"Ino-chan!" Chouji and Shikamaru yelled.

When Shikamaru and Chouji had left the room, Temari and Kankurou had already stepped out of theirs, ready to protect their younger brother who was walking down the hall. When both of the sand ninja saw the unknown shinobi, Ino was already at their feet, her eyes closed.

"Ino-chan!" Chouji repeated, he began to run towards her but was cut off when the enemy leader grabbed her by the hair and pointed a kunai straight at her neck.

"Come closer and I'll kill her!" said the unknown man.

"Release her." Gaara said emotionlessly.

"Who are you? What do you want?!" Kankurou asked, reaching for a weapon.

"We serve the Akatsuki and we want the Kazekage."

**Author's note: There you go ch. 3! Sorry it took a while for me to update but the stupid website wouldn't let me. I kept getting error, error, and error! It seriously gets annoying. Well, hope u enjoyed it and please review; they really makes me happy!**


	5. The Real Reason

**Author's Note: ok, I decided to write the note before the story because I wanted to tell u guys that I'm gonna stop with the whole –kun, -chan, and –sama stuff. I'm not Japanese and I can honestly say that I've tried to use it carefully (researching it and making sure it's right) but I don't want to make a mistake and offend those who **_**are**_** Japanese. Well, other than that enjoy! And don't forget to review before u leave, please!**

"The Akatsuki?" Temari asked, opening her fan. Her enemies saw it as a defense but she intended it for something else and Shikamaru caught it. The fan barely covered his hands, enough to make hand signs undetected.

"Yes, we serve Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha Itachi." The leader answered, not noticing that Ino began to regain consciousness.

"Why do you wish to murder the Kazekage?!" Kankurou asked aggressively.

"Murder the Kazekage?" One of the background enemy shinobi asked in a laughing manner. "Why would we want---"

The man was cut off.

"What's happening?!" Another man asked.

"Idiots," Shikamaru calmly said as he opened his left hand, forcing everyone to do the same. "you are under my shadow possession jutsu."

"Shadow Posse---"

BANG.

Ino was freed when Shikamaru opened his hand; she knocked the leader over and, unfortunately, so was Shikamaru.

"Hey!" Shikamaru yelled as he was pushed back.

"Sorry!" Ino cried as she ran towards Shikamaru and helped him get back on his feet.

"Human Bolder!" Chouji yelled as Shikamaru's jutsu was released, scattering the enemy.

"Gaara!" Kankurou cried as he turned to his younger brother. "You must leave!"

The Kazekage was about to disagree but was interrupted by Temari.

"Kankurou is right, you must leave. This is why we're here, remember?"

Gaara was silent for half a second. For both of his siblings it had felt longer.

"Very well." Gaara finally spoke, his sand swallowing him.

As the Kazekage was leaving, the leader of the pack left outside. He was hoping to find him without distraction.

"You won't find him here." Another voice calmly said. "You know, if you come back empty handed Itachi will kill you, Takai."

"What are you doing here, Yutaka, and who's he?" Takai asked with anger, noticing another ninja besides him. "Itachi assigned _us_ this mission!"

"That is true but then again, I have a different mission. And for the ninja, Itachi was nice enough to send one more man." Yutaka answered.

"What kind of mission?" Takai asked.

"To examine, you fight and I watch."

"For what? Besides, we don't need someone else."

"Itachi's orders. Do you go against his demands?"

"No, no."

"Good, you've wasted too much time, take him and find the Kazekage."

Takai had no other choice but to nod. He ran off, the man behind him but turning a different direction; both searching for their target.

"Fool, I was assigned this mission because you and your men are predicted to die today."

* * *

Chouji's jutsu was so strong that it scattered the enemy everywhere. Some flew out the windows, leading to the outside, and others ran, looking for the Kazekage.

"We will take them down one by one." Temari said as she closed her fan. "We must separate."

"Agreed." The rest responded.

"I'll take care of this one." Chouji said as the rest noticed one ninja on the floor, unable to get up.

Ino, Shikamaru, Temari and Kankurou nodded and ran out, searching for the remaining enemies. Chouji walked up to him, grabbed him by the collar and took out a kunai.

"What do you know?!" Chouji asked him, his voice scaring even himself.

"You will not hear anything from me!" The man cried as he fought for his freedom.

"Do you value your life?!" Chouji asked again, not changing his tone or softening his grip. "Because if you do not tell me, I'll kill you."

Chouji lowered his kunai so it was pointing directly to the man's stomach. He was about to strike.

"Wait!" The man yelled, putting up his hands in defense. "I may know something."

"Tell!" Chouji demanded, his weapon touching the man's skin painfully.

"Uchiha Itachi wants…" The man paused and thought for a moment.

If he told him he would be killed by Itachi but if he didn't he was sure that the leaf ninja would also kill him. He thought of an alternative. Chouji noticed that he also took out a kunai and was about to stab his hand, causing Chouji to release him. Chouji didn't notice that he had a weapon in his person, but it didn't matter. The man began to run but Chouji threw the last of his shuriken, killing the invader.

"Pathetic." Chouji said as he left, searching for enemies or allies. It didn't take long when he heard a familiar female voice.

"How DARE you knock me out and pull my hair!"

"Ino…" Chouji whispered, heading towards the sound of her voice.

"Pulling someone's hair really hurts!" Ino yelled as she was punching one of the men who had sneaked into her room. It seemed she was taking out all of her anger on this one guy.

"Ino!" Chouji cried out, finally being able to find her.

"Chouji…"

For a split second she had forgotten what she had been doing. She had forgotten she was fighting an enemy and instead remembered what had happened earlier that day. For a split second; that was all the man needed. With Ino distracted, he took advantage of hitting her right on her stomach, punching the air right out of her. She tipped towards his direction, his fist the only thing supporting her. The man took out a kunai and was about to stab her but was pushed away. Chouji had tackled the man due to the lack of his shuriken, the man fell backwards and Ino fell the opposite way.

"Damn you! You've hurt her, and now I'm going to kill you!" Chouji threatened the man.

"Chouji…" She couldn't say more, her words being limited because of her lack of air.

"Its o.k. Ino, please don't say anymore." Chouji said, his eyes still staring at the ninja. "I'm here, and I'll protect you."

"You idiot! You could have fled but instead decided to enter a fight that wasn't even yours and because of that you will both die!"

He took out his shuriken and threw them straight at Ino; Chouji had no weapons and had no choice but to run towards her. He beat the shuriken and hugged Ino, waiting for the sharp weapons to hit his back. Fortunately, another pair had countered them.

"Shikamaru!" Chouji and Ino yelled in surprise.

"Damn. You guys just don't know when to give up do you? Does this woman mean so much?" The man asked, seeming annoyed because of the interruptions.

"She is our friend and we would give our _life_ for her." Shikamaru said as he stared at Ino, his face lit up by a warm smile.

"Shikamaru…"

"Ino, I was wrong and I'm sorry." Shikamaru apologized. "I shouldn't have yelled at you."

"We're _both_ sorry." Chouji interrupted, helping her up the ground. "I should have respected your things and I also shouldn't have raised my voice. It will never happen again."

"Boys…" Ino coughed, she couldn't help but say one word responses. Unable to stand up on her own, she leaned on Chouji and then hugged him tightly, unable to hold back her tears. "I'm the one who…should be sorry. I shouldn't…have put our friendship…on the line for something so…stupid!"

"You call yourselves shinobi, spilling emotion like this." The man interrupted, sickened by what he had witnessed. "At least you got a chance to do so, before you die!"

"Chouji, please take Ino and leave. I'll take care of him."

"O.k." Chouji said as he lifted Ino into his arms and ran off.

"You leaf ninja keep surprising me with your stupidity. You had two allies and sent them away, why?"

"Like I said, they're my friends and I'd never put them in danger."

"Foolish," the man mocked. "like that shadow possession jutsu of yours. I'm not going to fall for it twice."

"That's what they all say."

* * *

Temari was running towards the Kazekage's home. She had found and defeated her enemy and was now searching for the youngest of the sand siblings. If she knew Gaara, she knew where he was. She went in, unnoticing she wasn't alone in the dark house.

"Gaa---" Temari was unable to finish saying his name because it seemed that Takai, the leader of the pack, had sneaked in searching for the kazekage but instead found her. He had grabbed her by the neck and pushed her against the wall, lifting her from the ground. This caused Temari to drop her fan after the violent surprise.

"Where is he?" Takai asked in a hushed but menacing tone.

Temari tried to scream for help but no words came out. He was chocking her, she couldn't breathe.

"Where is he?!" He asked again louder.

'_How do you expect me to say anything if you won't let me breathe!' _Not that she would say anything that could harm her brother.

"Well, if you don't talk then I'm going to have to wait until you faint, just like that other girl." Takai whispered, his grip tightening. "You are, after all, the Kazekage's sister and that has got to have some value, don't you think?"

'_This must have happened to that annoying Ino too. He must have knocked her out and threw her out the room.'_

Oh no. she felt like the room began to spin.

"I don't have to take you to Itachi just yet; _I _can keep you for a while." Takai said as he kissed her slightly on the cheek.

'_What?! Don't touch me! Release me!' _

Temari tried to fight back but without her fan, she was powerless. Not to mention she was pinned against the wall, unable to breathe. The room was darkening and the intruder's face began to blur. She was losing consciousness; she was disappointed at how this had turned out. She had let her guard down so easily and because of it, she was now going to be kidnapped…or worse.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu!"

When Temari heard this, she immediately summoned all of her power and will to stay awake. In the same second, Takai had released her just like Shikamaru had commanded him to do so with his jutsu. Temari fell on the floor, her hands on her throat. She had never been happier to breathe air.

"WHA---"

Shikamaru didn't even let him finish his last word. He had used his strangling jutsu on the man who now lay dead on the floor. Temari coughed violently, Shikamaru running towards her.

"Are you o.k.?"

"Yeah…I think…so." Temari coughed as Shikamaru was leaning really close to her, touching her neck.

"What are you doing?"

"That bastard really hurt you. You have red marks all on your neck." Shikamaru responded, examining her neck.

Temari stared at Shikamaru, surprised.

"Thank you." Temari whispered as she hugged him.

Shikamaru got that feeling again.

"Uh…y-you're welcome." He stuttered as he hugged her back. "You k-know...you shouldn't be so clumsy."

The hug had disappeared as fast as it came. Temari had pushed him, causing him to fall backwards.

"Shut-up!" She yelled as she got up, Shikamaru doing the same.

"Hey! What happened to the thank you?"

Temari just stuck his tongue at him.

"Don't do that." Shikamaru said, turning away.

"Do what?"

"That thing you do."

"What?"

"Just stop it."

"Sticking my tongue at you?"

"Not just that."

"Then what?"

"Forget it."

"You're too weird." Temari said as she walked by to pick up her fan and headed towards the door.

"What was the hug for anyways?" Shikamaru asked, returning his stare.

"That's for coming in on time before he to---" She stopped, feeling she went too far.

"Before what?"

"Nothing. Besides, don't get used to it." She wouldn't admit it, she wouldn't admit that he was going to take her, use her as a tool to capture his brother...and for something else.

"Where are you going?" Shikamaru asked, following her.

"We must look for the others." Temari said, thankful he left the subject alone.

"Chouji and Ino are fine; the only person I haven't seen is your half-cat brother."

POW

"Hey, what was that for?" Shikamaru complained as he rubbed his head in pain.

Temari had hit the top of his head with the end of her fan.

"And that's for calling my brother names." Temari ran out the door, Shikamaru following her, still rubbing his head.

"O.k. if Chouji killed one enemy ninja and I killed Ino's and my own…"

"…and that freak back there."

"Yes, and you killed yours, right?"

"Yup, then that's it." Temari concluded. "There were only four shinobi and their sick leader."

"So where's your brother?"

Speak of the devil. Kankurou was caught fighting and finishing off another ninja. Temari and Shikamaru ran by his side.

"I thought there were only five." Temari said.

"What do you mean?" Kankurou asked.

"Five are dead and now this one shows up."

"It doesn't matter. This one had information." Kankurou explained. "C'mon, we need to keep on searching."

Temari and Shikamaru both nodded as all three left.

"I've found out that there was one more shinobi today." Kankurou shared his information with his sister and Shikamaru.

"What? I thought there were only _5_ ninjas. Now it turns out there was actually _7_." Shikamaru began to argue.

"The shinobi I was fighting with was an extra. Fearing death, he told me he was sent with another ninja. A ninja whose mission was to witness today's events."

"What, why?" Temari asked, realizing the answer right after she had asked her question.

"I have a pretty good idea why." Kankurou said, Shikamaru thinking the same thing.

* * *

Night had finally fallen on this long day. The three leaf and sand ninja were sitting around a long table. To Shikamaru's knowledge, this was the meeting room. The meeting room was the largest room yet, it had the main table and its chairs, sofas, and small, individual desks. Even with all these items, the room had a lot of space that remained unoccupied. Not to mention that one of the four walls was actually a large, wide window allowing you the see the dark city.

"Did you take care of it?" Gaara asked his older brother, rising from his seat.

"Yes." Kankurou answered.

Gaara nodded in satisfaction and headed out the door.

"Gaara, where are you going?" Temari asked.

"What every Kazekage has to do…paperwork." And with that left to his office, no doubt similar to this or bigger.

"Well, where is he?" Ino asked, talking about the one ninja who got away.

"He escaped." Temari answered a bit angry at the result.

"Obvious, or else his mission would have been a failure." Ino realized. "But why did he want to observe us?"

"To learn our abilities, jutsus, and techniques," Shikamaru answered. "and we fell for it."

"Why on Earth would they want to know that, it's not like they're going to attack again." Ino spoke for the third time.

They all fell silent.

"That's it! They want to attack a second time!" Chouji yelled the thoughts of everyone.

"A second attack?" Kankurou repeated. "Then that means this was all a set-up! They expected us to win!"

"But why go through all this trouble, why not attempt to kill the Kazekage now?" Temari asked.

"Do they even _want _to kill him?"

"What makes you say that, Shikamaru?" Chouji asked his best friend.

"Earlier today, when the shinobi showed up, one of the men was surprised when Kankurou asked why they wanted to murder the Kazekage."

"That's right." Kankurou remembered.

"Well if they don't want to kill him then why do they want him?" Ino asked.

"Well, what or who else is the Akatsuki after?" Temari mentioned.

Shikamaru, Chouji and Ino gave each other a worried look.

"Naruto…" Chouji whispered.

"Who?" Kankurou asked.

"Naruto." Shikamaru repeated the name of a certain knuckle headed ninja.

"Naruto! The reason the Akatsuki wants Naruto…" Ino began to say.

"…is because they wish to obtain…" Chouji continued.

"…the demon, the nine-tailed fox!" Shikamaru said loudly.

"And Gaara also has a demon inside of _him_, which means…" Kankurou concluded.

"…they don't want to _kill_ Gaara, they want to _kidnap_ him!" Temari yelled.

"To steal the power within!" All five of them cried in surprise.


	6. Author's Note

**Another Author's note: Sorry guys but I just wanted to mention that this **_**is**_** a romance you've just gotta give it time to unfold. I mean, who says I love you in a day or a week? I promise that the action/adventure has been cut down, if not all, to a minimum. The next few chapters will be dedicated to Shikamaru and Temari fluff, (remember, I gotta set it up and stuff. I just wanted to get the last chapter in so the story would make sense) just give me time. So please, don't abandon this story, GIVE ME TIME! I'll really try not to disappoint you! Thanks, and I **_**really**_** mean thanks. **


	7. Love Hidden In Friendships

Shikamaru loved to lie on his bed, his arms behind his head. He was staring at the ceiling, again. He was thinking about all of the things that had been happening. The trip to Suna, the surprise attack and how the Akatsuki wanted to kidnap the Kazekage.

"It's not the Akatsuki anymore, it's Itachi and Kisame." Shikamaru spoke his thoughts.

He stood up and began to pace around his room, a thousand counterattacks coming to his mind, but not sure how to make them work. He stopped in front of the transparent door. Something, or better yet 'someone', caught his attention. He got closer, opening the door and stepping onto the balcony. He saw Temari training without her fan. Shikamaru hadn't been here for long but he knew that she always fought with it or at least always had it with her.

"What are you doing?" Shikamaru asked as he was leaning over the balcony.

"Training, what do you think?" Temari answered, not looking up.

"Without your fan?" Shikamaru asked, still leaning even farther.

"_Yes_," Temari answered. "is there a problem?"

"No, but why?"

"Because I want to." Temari said as she stopped and looked up, her hands on her hips.

"Why?"

"Dammit, why do you ask so many questions?"

Shikamaru grinned a little. He enjoyed making her angry.

"What's so funny?"

"What do you mean?"

Temari narrowed her eyes and turned.

"You know…AAAHHHHH!!!"

Shikamaru had fallen of the balcony and hit the ground face first. It seemed that a strong wind had pushed him off. Temari grinned, her smile turning it to a laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"What do you mean?" Temari asked innocently.

"What did you do?" Shikamaru asked as he stood up. This was not the first time he had fallen off a second floor. Before, it was at the chuunin exams and that knuckle-headed ninja, Naruto, had pushed him off. Unfortunately, on both cases, Temari was there.

"I'm not following you."

"And I'm not stupid. What did you do?" Shikamaru asked again, placing his hands on his back, attempting to crack it but failing miserably.

"Nothing."

He raised an eyebrow, not believing one word she said.

"Ok! I might have accidentally pushed you off." She whispered, looking at everything else but the boy in front of her.

"What? How?" Shikamaru asked a little confused.

"It's called ninjutsu, duh."

"But why?"

"To see if it worked…and to shut you up." Temari answered, still laughing.

"Fine. So why are you training without your fan?" Shikamaru asked again, amazed at himself at why he was still asking or why he was still here.

"If I tell you will you stop asking questions?"

Shikamaru nodded, still trying to crack his back.

"Ok, I'm training because I realized that during the attack I'm not as strong without my fan." Temari explained as she walked and grabbed her fan that was resting on a tree.

"Really?" Shikamaru mocked. "I didn't notice."

"Look, do you want to know or not?"

"Yeah go ahead."

"I want to get strong…with or without my fan."

"I see, so that whole scene with the shinobi leader affected you."

Temari stood quiet and turned away.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Shikamaru asked, searching for her face.

"N-Nothing."

Shikamaru came closer and grabbed her chin lightly. He looked at her big beautiful blue eyes; they seemed to be sparkling at the moment.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

Temari looked away once more. Shikamaru was actually worried. Why? Did he care about this girl? Damn it, he didn't really like the idea.

Temari looked down.

"Did he hurt you?" Shikamaru concluded.

"What? Where did you get that from?" Temari asked, removing her face from his touch.

"It doesn't take a genius to figure out something's troubling you."

"He obviously hurt me, I mean, he was chocking me…you where there. So?"

"You know what I mean. Did he do anything else?"

"No." Temari lied. She wouldn't tell him, it wasn't a big deal.

"Ok." Shikamaru finally said half convinced.

"Why do you care anyway?" Temari asked, finally looking at him.

"I-I don't know." This time Shikamaru looked away.

"Hey, I thought you weren't going to ask me any questions after I told you about my training."

"Oh, yeah…I forgot."

Temari laughed.

"What?"

"The great Shikamaru…forgets." Temari teased.

"That's great that you think I'm…great but no need to go crazy over it." Shikamaru said, continuing the game.

"Well," Temari said as she opened her fan. "I've wasted too much time on you."

"I thought you said you weren't going to train with your fan."

"Who said I was going to train with it." Temari said, a smirk on her face.

She raised her giant fan and waved it. The strong wind sent Shikamaru flying, his back hitting the wall of the house. He saw her close her fan and turn to walk away.

"Ow." Shikamaru cried, rubbing his shoulder. "This troublesome girl only causes me pain."

A small smile spread across his face.

"Atleast my back finally cracked."

* * *

"Hey Chouji," Ino said as she was sitting on a bench located in front of the Kazekage's home.

"Yeah?" Chouji answered, sitting next to Ino.

"I'm sorry." Ino apologized, looking at the ground.

"For what?" Chouji turned to look at her.

"For being impatient, being mean, being…"

"Hey, those are few of the qualities you have. You are also caring, smart, funny…beautiful."

Ino turned.

"You think so?"

"Yeah. That's what makes you…you."

She smiled and turned to hug her best friend. Chouji blushed and hugged her back.

'_Ino, if you only knew…'_

* * *

"Yutaka…well done."

"Thank you." Yutaka responded as he knelt in Itachi's presence.

"I am assuming you want your reward?"

Yutaka nodded.

"Well," Itachi remained motionless, his eyes blood red.

Yutaka noticed this and caused him to panic. Itachi only activated his sharingan when he intended to kill.

"Itachi…" A voice interrupted the silence. "Please, allow me to take care of this."

Itachi never moved except that his eyes went from crimson to onyx. Kisame knew his answer.

"Wait! I've done what you've asked! Why do you want to kill me! I've done nothing wrong!" Yuataka yelled as he stood up and began to step backwards.

Itachi continued his stare.

"That may be true…but since when do we need a reason to kill?" Kisame asked as he pulled out his sword, a wide grin on his face.

"Wait…NO!"

* * *

"Shikamaru!" Ino cried, grabbing his left wrist. All three leaf ninja where once more in Shikamaru's room. "C'mon! You know you want to come with us!"

"No, it's fine. I'm not much of an outdoor person." Shikamaru responded, trying to free himself from Ino's grip.

"C'mon, Chouji and I would love for you to come with us and see what this village has to offer!" Ino yelled, tightening her grip. "This village has to have something that's interesting, right Chouji?"

"Yeah! Let's go, Shikamaru." Chouji nodded as he grabbed his right wrist, also pulling him. "A little fresh air never hurt anyone."

"Guys, one of us has to stay. What would Tsunade say if all three of us when out not doing our jobs. What would Temari say?"

Ino and Chouji stopped pulling and looked at him, suspiciously.

"…and Gaara and Kankurou?!" Shikamaru quickly said.

"Who cares? It's only for a little while!" Ino began pulling again, ignoring what Shikamaru had said. "No one will know!'

"Guys, I _want_ to stay. One of us has to be on duty."

"Man, you're so lazy! Making up excuses, you can't even spend one afternoon with us!" Ino cried, finally releasing his hand and turning her back at him, crossing her arms.

Now Chouji was the only one grabbing Shikamaru's wrist.

"You can let go now."

"Yeah, sorry." Chouji laughed, releasing Shikamaru.

"Hey, don't be stupid Chouji, take advantage of the situation." Shikamaru whispered so that only Chouji could hear. Ino too busy mumbling to herself.

"Huh?" Chouji asked in confusion.

"Take Ino out for a walk, you know, just the two of you."

"I dunno…"

"Shikamaru!" Ino yelled, turning back to her best friends.

"What?"

"C'mon!"

"Uh, Ino…maybe we should listen to Shikamaru…I mean, he wants to stay." Chouji spoke as both his index fingers fought each other.

"Yeah, I want to stay."

"Shikamaru, I really wanted you to come but if you _really_ want to stay…"

"Thank you." Shikamaru said in victory as he threw himself on his bed.

"Whatever." Ino cried as he grabbed Chouji's hand. "Let's go Chouji. Let's leave Shikamaru with his boring self."

Shikamaru laughed as he saw Ino leave in defeat and Chouji with a small smile and a huge blush on his face.

"Hey Ino, where do you wanna go first?" Chouji asked as they walked down the hall.

"I don't know. I bet there's something out there for us to see."

"See what?"

They didn't even notice that Temari was there, walking towards her room after finishing her training for the day.

"Do we need to give you an explanation?" Ino asked, raising her eyebrow.

"You do when you are in our village, our home and, if I remember correctly, you were and still _are_ hired by us."

"We're going out for a walk if you don't mind." Chouji responded before the fight between the blondes began.

"All of you?"

"No, just me and Chouji." Ino said her lips forming a frown.

"You can't leave. What if they attack again, we'll be short two ninja."

"They won't. It's only been a day; I doubt they'll attack again so soon. Besides, Shikamaru is here." Ino snapped as she continued to walk, Chouji following her.

Temari frowned as she headed towards Shikamaru's room and opened the door without knocking.

"Hey!"

"Why are your friends leaving?" Temari asked, Ino and Chouji forced to follow behind her.

"What? Can't they go out for a while?"

"Not when they're suppose to be working!"

Ino and Chouji began to walk backwards, hoping to escape without Temari flaming on them. Chouji was the first to go out and then Ino as she brought the door with her. She gave him a thumbs up as she closed the door and left, Temari never noticing.

"C'mon, they deserve a little break especially about what happened yesterday."

Temari stared. Shikamaru stared back.

"Fine. It doesn't make a difference since they already left." Temari said as she slightly turned her head back towards the direction of the closed door.

"Yeah, they do that a lot." Shikamaru almost laughed.

"I see." Temari said as she turned her attention back to Shikamaru.

"How's your training going?"

"Just finished." Temaris answered, knowing he was trying to distract her from her anger.

"Learn anything new?"

"What, the jutsu I performed earlier doesn't answer your question?"

"Yeah, but besides that?"

"Hmmm, been working on something else since I've mastered that jutsu." Temari answered. "Why do you care about what I do or not do, huh?"

"You can say I'm curious."

"Curious…about me?" Temari asked, wondering what she was going to get as an answer.

Shikamaru panicked. He had no real reason to but he did.

"Umm, just a little…maybe." Shikamaru whispered, starring at the ceiling. "You are different."

Temari's eyes grew big, thinking that this guy, only days ago, hated her…now he thought she was different.

"I hope it's in a good way."

"Yeah it is." Shikamaru said almost laughing at her comment.

"But, why?"

"I haven't been here long but you are different then what I had expected."

"I'm not sure if I should be glad or disappointed."

Shikamaru and Temari both laughed.

"You know, it's nice getting along with you." Shikamaru admitted.

Temari stood quiet but she knew that he was right. She did like getting along with him.

"Hey…" Temari said after a long pause.

"Hmmm?"

"When two people get along, what does that mean?"

Shikamaru was suprised by the weird question.

"I guess it means they're allies or something."

"And when they like each other?"

"You can say they're friends."

Temari turned as she headed towards the door.

"Yeah…"

"Yeah what?" Shikamaru asked.

"…I like the second one better."

Shikamaru was stunned.

"D-Does that mean we're friends?"

"Do you want to be?" Temari asked as she stood by the door, ready to leave.

"Yeah, I'd like that."

Temari smiled and left.

Shikamaru saw as she closed the door. He formed the same facial expression Temari had.

"I'd really like that."

**Author's note: Well there you go...ch. 5. I'm not sure if this is what i wanted but i didn't want to keep u guys waiting too long so i decided to finish it. I'm so sorry it took me a long time to finally update but the final exams, the sat, and hexads (hexads are tests we take every 6 weeks for each academic classu kno...math, english, science, etc that are worth 50 of ur grade! yea, no kidding) are coming up and i dont really have free time anymore. I bet if i did, this ch. could have been better. oh well...dont expect ch. 6 in a while k? i'll try to write it asap!!! thanks 4 ur patience! dont forget to review on ur way out!**


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